Infinite Stratos, Volume 5, page 3
“Oww... That hurt...”
“Would you like another? Because it’s coming if you keep talking.”
“I didn’t even say anything...”
Tears welled up in Miss Casual’s eyes.
“Yes, yes, we know just how close you two are. But right now, we have a guest,” interrupted Tatenashi.
“My apologies.”
“I’m sorry...”
The three then turned to me and Tatenashi spoke up first with, “Anyway, let me explain. We’ve received a number of complaints that you aren’t in any clubs. So as the student council, we decided that you must join one.”
“And that’s the reason for the voting at the school festival?”
What a pain in the butt that would be. I had my hands full just with IS training. I didn’t have time for clubs. I don’t think I could handle a club full of girls anyway. Just mentally couldn’t do it. Like, say I joined a team. Where would I change? Where would I shower?
“Yes. As compensation, I’ll also be giving you special training until the festival. Both in IS and on foot.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll have to pass.”
“Don’t say that. Oh, and do try the tea. It’s excellent.”
“If you insist...” The smell of flowers wafted to my nose. I drank slowly, letting the aroma soothe me as I enjoyed its perfect warmth. “It’s delicious.”
“Utsuho makes the best black tea in the world. Try the cake next.”
That sounded like a good suggestion, and I helped myself to the shortcake covered in whipped cream. The cream was a luscious accent rather than overwhelming—wait, since when was I a restaurant reviewer?
“Now, will you let me teach you?”
“I don’t need it. Why do you care so much about it, anyway?”
“Huh? Isn’t it obvious? Because you’re weak.”
The words left her lips so casually and matter-of-factly that I didn’t realize what she’d said at first. When it sunk in, though, I was... honestly a little bit mad.
“I definitely don’t think I’m that weak,” I rebutted.
“But you are weak. Extremely weak. And that’s why I want to improve you.”
I’m only human. There’s no way I could stand hearing that. So before I knew it, I was on my feet, pointing at Tatenashi and said, “All right, let’s fight then! If I lose I’ll go along with you.”
“Excellent.”
The grin on her face practically screamed: “You just activated my trap card.” What did I just get myself into?
◇
“Uh, what’s this?”
“Hakama?”
“I know that, I mean—”
It was after classes had let out, and Tatenashi and I were facing each other in a rush-matted dojo. Each of us were in the white gi and navy-blue hakama traditional to Japanese martial artists. Oh, and we were the only ones there. The Nohotoke sisters apparently had other work to take care of. It still amazed me that Miss Casual was on the student council.
“All right, here’s how this will work. Drop me to the floor, and you win.”
“Eh?”
“And if you can’t keep fighting anymore, I win. Does that sound good?”
“Well, um...” I wanted to ask “Isn’t that unfair to you?” but before I could get it out of my mouth, she cut me off.
“It doesn’t really matter. I’m going to win anyway.”
I knew she was trying to provoke me, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t working. When I studied the blade at Houki’s dojo, I also learned barehanded martial arts in case my sword broke. I may have been a little rusty, but once you learn that kind of skill it stays with you forever.
“Here I come,” I said, as I readied myself.
“Any time, now,” she replied.
The smile stayed on her face. Her cool composure made her seem even more mysterious than usual. Anyway, let me see what I’m up against. I dropped into a crouch and stepped toward her, reaching for her arm, and—
“......?!”
In the blink of an eye, I was flipped over and dropped to the floor. A feeling of pressure burst through my lungs, taking my breath away. I sputtered, and instantly, she was at my throat, her finger probing for my jugular.
“Ugh...”
“That’s one.”
As it sunk in for me that she could have killed me at will, she stepped back. She’s tough! I realized I’d never manage to win this unless I treated it like a match with Chifuyu. But that meant I couldn’t take any risks, either. I was at a stalemate.
“.........”
“Mm? Aren’t you coming? I suppose I’ll get us started, then.”
Instantly, she was upon me. Her footwork was impossibly vivid—no, was the traditional ‘no moment’ technique.
Every person alive has a rhythm. The pulse of their heart. The pace of their breath. When people are in perfect sync, it’s two hearts beating as one. When they’re very much not, one marches to the beat of a different drummer. Attacking at your own body’s rhythm is the ‘striking moment.’ Using it to shrug off blows is ‘guarding moment.’ And then, beyond that, hiding your own rhythm to become completely unreadable... Is ‘no moment.’
“Oh no—”
Three quick blows, to my elbow, shoulder, and gut. Then, the moment I stiffened in reaction, a double-palmed strike directly at my lungs. I gasped for air, as the world spun around me. And then—
“Watch your step!”
I collapsed backward onto the floor. As she threw me, she drove her finger into pressure point after pressure point, ensuring that my body wouldn’t listen even as I tried to scramble to my feet.
“That’s two. Shall we keep going?” Tatenashi, without a wrinkle on her outfit, smiled down at me.
I’m a man, dammit! I won’t give up this easily!
“I’m not done yet!” My words were firmer than my knees, and I wobbled as I exhaled.
“Fufu. I like boys with a bit of fire in them.”
“Thanks, I guess.”
Inside my heart, I screamed at my legs to stop shaking. Facing Tatenashi again, her smile was the same as always, but now it terrified me. It was like a deep, dense fog in a forest, concealing the way out. People aren’t afraid then because of the forest. They’re afraid because of the unknowns hidden in the fog. And her smile hid everything. It was an impenetrable iron wall. Yet it wasn’t a false smile, either. She wasn’t forcing it. I just didn’t understand where it was coming from.
Calm down. Calm down, me. She isn’t a monster. She’s a normal human standing on two feet. There’s got to be some way to get them out from under her. I took two deep breaths. In my head, I formed the image of a steady, unwavering candle flame, and gathered my focus.
“Hmm. Looks like you’re serious now.”
“.........”
I answered with silence, and she replied in kind. The air was thick with tension as we both prepared to go out. I’ve got to take her down in one hit... Here goes!
I attacked with an intensity calculated to break her silence. I moved with the secret Shinonono school technique of ‘zero moment’—moving at my foe’s pace, but a beat earlier.
“......!”
A look of surprise flashed over her face as she took a half-step back. I’ve got her! Before her foot could touch the floor, I grabbed her by the arm and put all my might into—
Slam!
“Ugh!”
I plunged face-first to the ground myself. My vision blurred at I coughed uncontrollably. But through it, I refocused my determination and grasped a hold of her ankle.
“Well, well.”
“I’ve got you now!”
I pulled her foot upward and out from under her as hard as I could, wrapping my arms around her as she began to tumble.
“Did you think it would be that easy?”
Even as I thought I had a secure grip under her arms, she planted her right hand on the floor and pivoted cleanly from my grasp. And at the same time, she unleashed a fierce capoeira kick.
“Wha—”
“It was a good try.”
Mixing traditional martial arts and capoeira?! What the hell is she?! It was no pretense, no self-flattery, that she was the strongest. It was the stark truth. But I still wasn’t going to admit defeat. Now was the time for guts. Manly determination. My will is unbending!
“HIYAH!”
I landed on all fours from the force of the kick and leapt forth again. She had regained her footing, and a smile sprang to her face. Screw techniques! I just need to not lose! I rushed forward and yanked her toward me while winding up a punch. And—
“Ah...”
“Eek!”
Her gi pulled wide open, revealing an ample bosom under her bra. The swelling mounds, wrapped in silken lace, were of a size just as impressive as Houki’s— No! I can’t think about that right now!
“Ichika, you pervert!”
“Wha—”
I had no excuse. That was 100% my fault. As my hesitation left me wide-open, she quietly pushed my arm aside. Dammit! In the next moment, I experienced a juggle combo for the first time. How many times was I hit? I stopped counting after the seventeenth. Because I blacked out.
“Getting to see that much will cost you, you know?”
A giggle. I could have sworn the last thing I heard was a happy giggle.
◇
“Where on Earth did he go? Such a useless bride...”
Ichika’s IS coach for the day was Laura. At the start of the second semester, Ichika had pointed out that all five working with him at once was inefficient, so they’d set up a rotation. And for the first day of his special training, Laura’s luck had landed her the slot, or at rather, a good performance in rock-paper-scissors.
He hardly ever takes the opportunity to spend time with me. It’s inexcusably rude. Laura’s irritated pacing slowed, then came to a stop. Is... Is he avoiding me? She shuddered, as if to shake off the sense of dread that had washed over her. No, it’s not like that! It’s fine. It’s fine... I think. But once the doubt set in, it was hard for her to clear the shadow it cast over her heart. As her anxiety grew with every passing moment, she found it harder and harder to resist breaking the school rules and using the IS private channel to track down his position.
No one’s watching. I won’t get caught. It’s just starting up my IS and checking something, no big deal. Looking a bit guilty, Laura scanned her surroundings, for once not confident in her grasp of the situation. All right. I just need to put my IS into limited standby, and...
She tried to calm the beating of her heart as she focused to bring forth her IS.
“You.”
Laura’s heartbeat echoed. “W-What?!”
Laura spun around in a rage, as much to create a distraction as anything else. But behind her was Chifuyu.
“And what are you up to?”
“Lehrerin...”
With a snicker-snack, the clipboard swung forth. “Call me ‘Ms. Orimura.’”
“Understood, Ms. Orimura...”
Even Laura couldn’t stand up to Chifuyu, or even wanted to, for that matter.
“Listen. I saw Ichika by the nurse’s office.”
“R-Really?! Which one?”
“Get a hold of yourself, it’s embarrassing. The one on the first floor of the club building.”
“First floor of the club building...” Laura mumbled it back to herself as if thinking it over, then gave Chifuyu a quick bow and turned to leave. Before she could go, though, Chifuyu interrupted her.
“Listen, Bodewig. Even if you’ve got your own IS, it’s still against the rules—and a treaty violation—to deploy your IS outside of designated areas.”
“I-I know!” Laura meant to sound as if she’d never considered otherwise, but a bit of residual guilt made her voice waver. “Anyway, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Go ahead.”
Laura barely made it five meters from Chifuyu before her walk broke into a mad dash. As Chifuyu watched her speed away, all she could mutter under her breath was, “Kids today...”
◇
Rustle, rustle. The leaves sang as the breeze wafted through the branches. I was running in the blistering June heat.
I’ve gotta hurry. I didn’t know why, but I knew that I did. As I ran, the sweltering heat sapped my energy. But I couldn’t stop running. No, I couldn’t slow down.
“Ah...”
I saw a person waiting by a well. A gorgeous woman, her hair tied back in a high ponytail, in the white and red of a shrine maiden. Something welled up in my heart, and my pace stopped. Slowly, she turned toward me, her face still hidden from my sight. I could tell she was beautiful, but I couldn’t tell who she was. My heart tensed and—
◇
“Hmm-hmm~♪ Hm-hmm-hm~♪”
A hum filled my ears as I slowly came to. Huh... I squinted as the sun filled my eyes. As I did so, she noticed I was awake, and leaned toward me as if to block its light with her face.
“Are you awake now?”
“Tate... nashi?”
Tatenashi’s face was close to mine. Wait, Tatenashi isn’t a girl’s name, is it?
“Hm? It’s the name always given to the head of the Sarashiki family. I’m the seventeenth.”
“I see...” I replied with a slight nod. I was too groggy to do much more than that. Wait... Did I ask that out loud?
“Hey, hold on a minute!” As I realized my position, I sat up with a start. I thought it was just a soft pillow that happened to smell really nice, but in reality... “What are you doing?!”
“Resting your head in my lap.”
Ugh. I mean, sure, it was obvious in retrospect, but why did she have to stare at me like I was asking a weird question? And why did she have to change clothes? It probably would’ve felt really nice if she still had her tights on instead. Oh no. This is bad. I’ve got a really bad feeling about this. If this keeps up... Just as I moved to back away from her, her hands came down on my shoulders.
“Wha—”
I was pressed back down into her lap. C’mon, let me go!
“Ichika!” The door clattered open, and Laura shouted. As she looked at me and Tatenashi, her face went blank. It’s over. My short life was over. I didn’t even have the willpower to watch it flash before my eyes.
“Target acquired.” Laura was already activating her AIC as her IS formed around her starting from her fingertips. Before it even finished, she slashed toward us, but—
“Waaait!” I cried.
“Fufu.” Tatenashi chuckled as she flung her fan toward Laura’s forehead. Laura flinched for a moment as it struck an unarmored part of her. Seizing the opportunity, Tatenashi snatched it from midair, flicking it open and trailing the edge along Laura’s jugular.
“Ngh—”
Neither Laura nor I could hide our surprise at the swift, graceful motion. It was already too late for Laura’s emergency defenses—Tatenashi was swift enough to secure the kill before they could kick in. Laura ground her teeth, grudgingly accepting defeat.
“That’s a good girl.” Tatenashi patted Laura’s head with her fan, then turned toward me. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s get going.”
“Huh? Where to?”
“The third arena.”
Her grin seemed indomitable—or at least undefeatable.
◇
“Huh? What are you doing here, Ichika?”
“Ichika? I’d heard you’d be training in the fourth arena today.”
I hadn’t been expecting Charl or Cecilia, either. They were taking a break from practice, with their IS dematerialized but their IS suits still on. As they saw me enter with Laura and Tatenashi, their eyebrows raised in unison.
“And who might that be?” Cecilia scowled slightly as she asked about Tatenashi.
What’s with that look on her face?
“Uh, Cecilia. It’s the student council president.”
“Ah, I see. I was sure I recognized her face from somewhere.” Charl was trying to polish the edges off Cecilia’s moodiness, but only managed to turn it onto herself. She really did end up taking the heat for other people a lot...
“Relax. What did she do to you? Anyway, I’m Ichika’s personal IS coach now, so we’ll probably be seeing a lot of each other.” Tatenashi let it drop casually, but Charl, Cecilia, and Laura were each startled.
“Huh? How’d that happen?”
“Why, Ichika!”
“Ichika, you...!”
“Wait! I can explain! It’s because I lost a fight! That’s all it is!” I squeezed out the excuse as fast as I could.
“He lost, and now he has to do aaaanything I say.” Tatenashi giggled as she grinned. Well, that isn’t going to improve things.
“Ichika.”
“Why, Ichika!”
“Ichika!”
As expected, each of them wanted their own shot at me, and I was running out of excuses. What was I even doing here?
“Anyway, let’s get started. First, I want you to follow along with someone more experienced. Charlotte. Cecilia. Show him Shooter Flow in Circle Rondo formation.”
Shoo... Huh? Something about London?
“Oh? But that’s a ranged battle stance.”
“If you say so... Are you sure it’ll help Ichika, though?”
It seems I was the only one confused about what was going on.
“Because his Second Shift has a long-ranged— A shooting attack?” Laura interjected warily. It seemed like she was still on edge around Tatenashi.
“You’re clever. But I have another reason, too.” Tatenashi tapped her fan in the palm of her hand as she spoke. “Normally, the most important part of ranged combat is suppressive fire. But something like a high-output particle cannon is more like a sniper rifle. One shot, one kill. However, I’m sure you’re familiar with Ichika’s marksmanship by now and realize that isn’t his strong suit.”
Man, did she have to be so blunt about it?
“Therefore, instead—”
“He needs to close to melee range.”
“Correct. You’re sharp, Laura.” Tatenashi opened her fan as she congratulated Laura. It even had “Impressive” written on it.
When did she swap fans?
“Laura...” Something was up with Laura. She was staring off into space.
